Sins and Virtue
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: Each person accuses themselves of at least one deadly sin. But to each sin, there is a virtue. Frontier-verse
1. Envy

Author's Notes

I've had this half completed on my hard drive for awhile, so I figured I might as well complete it. Not getting under 20 stories in progress, am I? Always find something else to do...

Anywho, you probably don't want to be bored of that. This collection of um...grouped drabbles was inspired by the keys to the kingdom by Garth Nix. Namely, the morrow days which represent each of the Seven Deadly Sins in Christianity and the associated Virtues that were personified in the seven parts of the will. I've paired each sin with its corresponding virtue, so a total of 14 chapters. It is also inspired by the homunculi in Fullmetal Alchemist, both the 2003 anime and Brotherhood.

And keep in mind that they are drabbles, so they don't talk about everything. I've mainly picked one or two situations and just gone with that. Easier than trying to explain everything.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><span>Sins and Virtue<span>

Each person accuses themselves of at least one deadly sin. But to each sin, there is a virtue. Frontier-verse

* * *

><p><span>Envy<span>

* * *

><p><em>Kouichi Kimura<em>

It was common belief that all humans are accused of at least one of the seven deadly sins, and for him, it was envy. Perhaps justly so, but he, at times, could not help but notice what he and his mother were deprived of, watching classmates discuss the newest video game or exchange the newest trading cards. But it was okay most of the time, because money, and what it could buy, was largely superficial if joy did not exist in independence. And they were happy, the two of them, with his grandmother, her mother...and they had what they needed to survive.

Contention and happiness are two different things, though they tend to be misused. He was content, sure, but he wasn't happy, and it was only when his grandmother died and left behind the secret she could not take to her grave that he discovered the missing factor of the equation.

Then he saw his brother, and his life. And the ugly green monster made itself known.

Before, it didn't really matter to him what others had, because they were different, apart. His brother, on the other hand, and his father...they mattered. Because it could so easily have been him. He saw the luxury they had, the complete family, the ease...and perhaps that blinded him to other factors, because he failed to note their own lack of happiness when drew parallel to his own family.

It saddened him, to an extent, because he could see his mother wishing she could give him what their father could have. He didn't know the details; that was a topic both women avoided like the plague, but he couldn't help but wonder many a time after his grandmother's death, that his mother regretted something. Either him...or his brother. Or both, in a pair.

He wanted to know the truth, but at the same time, feared it. And so his quest led him to many near encounters, that would end one way or another in failure. But each failure brings one closer to success, so he kept trying, stilling the frantic beating of his heart as he raced against time –

– then a small, awkward twist of his ankle left him lying sprawled on the landing of Shibuya station, consciousness fading as he felt the irresistible pull of darkness.

And then there was anger, hatred, evil...all stemmed from that envy.

And then love, friendship, family...those that followed after.

* * *

><p><em>Takuya Kanbara<em>

He couldn't say envy was his cardinal sin, but at the same time, he couldn't deny it. Perhaps that had a trigger in all his relationships...in the past anyway. It certainly played its role with his brother, though the stubborn part of him had always denied that he was jealous of that attention. A part of him had though always wanted to shine, to stand out, and the turning of the light had always caused his eyesight to follow.

He had never paused to consider that those on the receiving end felt the same.

The Digital World...the same thing. He was the leader, but Kouji's shots were always more logical, more _safe_ than his own. Sometimes, his own shots would go through regardless, and then the idiocy of his plans would be put on proud display, while the other's rationale sparkled even brighter as it came into the fore-light.

And he couldn't even lie and say he envied that. Because he had found an antithesis, a rival, within him.

So in the end, there was friendship. Friendship borne from a two-way road of envy.

Because there was no denying it went both ways.

* * *

><p><em>Kouji Minamoto<em>

Envy, when one thinks about it, is a rather interesting sin. The forms it takes, the paths it leads others down...he'd gotten a fair glimpse at that in the Duskmon saga, and the knowledge of how close he himself had been to falling onto the same path was rather frightening...not that he would admit that out loud.

Others would wonder what he could possibly have envied; he had quite a bit more than the average Japanese child after all. Two things mostly: a real mother, and friends, though the second was rather his own fault.

'I don't need friends. Or family.' That was what he had said. But he had been lying. Always repeating the same lie.

It was after all easier when one did that.

He lost his mother at age two, growing up with his father for seven years before he finally remarried. By that age, they had moved from district to district, school to school, community to community, far too often to be able to settle anywhere. He had tried at the beginning, but eventually he gave up on trying to form friendships, gave up on trying to fit people into his life when they were going to be lost in the end anyway.

The same reason he didn't want his stepmother. He had already lost his real one.

It was easier, but it was impossible. The Digital World saw to that. And once the fortress he built began to shatter, he could see how the jealousy he had unconsciously harboured, about the things he denied himself...and those traits that he admired but never had, because it simply wasn't him.

Funny thing was, Takuya envied him for the same reasons.

But as it made them stronger, it wasn't a bad thing.

* * *

><p><em>Junpei Shibiyama<em>

It was only natural that there was at least one trait on the face of the universe that was to be envied. As for him, he always envied the boisterous, leader type of guy...namely because he was anything but. And if luck would have it, he was stuck with a guy who perfectly fit the bill.

So, of course, he envied him. And not just for that, but for his strength and power too.

It did different things to different people. It made him not the most sociable person on the new planet, but while salt burnt open wounds, honey soothed them.

It's easier to see faults when searching for them, but harder to see in avoidance.

But learning friendship showed that this particular sin at least was rather ill-defined.

After all, it was a sin that they had all felt, perhaps stronger in some relationships than others, but it had made them all stronger.

* * *

><p><em>Izumi Orimoto<em>

She had a rather interesting story to tell, torn between being the envious one and being the one that was envied. She chose her own seclusion, deciding to remain who she was rather than change and fit in, remaining secure in insecurity than securing an insecure place for herself. But others, who seemed to fit, who seemed to belong...she could still envy them.

Funnily enough, when she came to the Digital World, that didn't matter anymore. But at the same time, a new kind of jealousy arose, one regarding strength.

She had Fairymon's spirit. She had that power. But it was worst when she suddenly lost it, and any usefulness she could see. Being a simple liability needing to be protected...she couldn't help but envy the others with power.

But then the tables turned. Twofold.

She was the one with the power, while the others powerless. And she could understand, because she had been in their position.

But from experience, one learns. So it wasn't an experience to waste. In fact, it was the contrary.

Of course, there was Ranamon too. But that's another story.

* * *

><p><em>Tomoki Himi<em>

Envy, he found, was something rather difficult to see until it is thrown into the open. He always thought he envied his brother, back when he didn't understand the significance of the other's actions. Somewhere, along the way in the digital world, he saw that changing...or perhaps he simply came into a realisation. His brother wasn't the envious one; he was.

He noted it was the same reason he admired Takuya. Funny how the same strength can cause a rift in one relationship and a bridge in another.

But as he travelled further in the new world and discovered more about himself, and others too, he realised he was wrong again.

That was the funny thing about envy. It had a way of muddling lines.


	2. Kindness

Author's Notes

Some of these can be rather obscure; just because the theme is kindness, doesn't mean I'll demonstrate that explicitly in the generic sense. The first one in particular is a little vague: It is specifically the scene relating to Kouichi's "redemption". They actually all in some way or another relate to the six segments from the previous chapter, hence why I said the corresponding sin sand virtue are paired together. Think of it as seven two shots if you will instead of 14 chapters if that makes things easier. The frontier gang reorganise themselves per pair as well, so the large chunky piece at the beginning will be played out by someone else. Of course, that means there's at least one double up in here.

Next is _lust_/_chastity_.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><span>Sins and Virtue<span>

Each person accuses themselves of at least one deadly sin. But to each sin, there is a virtue. Frontier-verse

* * *

><p><span>Kindness<span>

* * *

><p><em>Kouichi Kimura<em>

It was always what came after the large tottering tower – when it collapsed. With falls came lessons to be learnt, and once envy's personification, the demon he had reared within himself and then cast loose for it to devour him, was reduced (physically) to streams of data scanned by the light, the path for lessons to be learnt and understood emerged.

No longer blinded, he could see so clearly what he had ignored. See without a doubt that while the other had a life he could envy, so did he himself. Selfishness gave way to its antonym as he witnessed and understood with a heavy burden of guilt what he had simply denied himself the knowledge thereof, but that instantly spurred his heart for repentance and an ease thereof.

There was something more sensitive; absence makes the heart grow fonder they say. Perhaps romantic relations wasn't the only implication of it, he simply couldn't help but feel the pain he had helped inflict...and that in which he played no role at all.

Leopards don't change their spots in a day, and it had always existed. Always, two poles, two extremes. There was always a kindness in envy and something envious about being kind.

The grass was truly greener on the other side, should one think of it in a subjective sense. Perhaps then one could claim that envy would always exist, but it didn't matter so long as that envy lead one on the path of kindness. All had something that another could envy, and the best curative was giving that to someone else.

Even a tiny foothold of understanding or initiative. For kindness was kindness for its own sake; empathy and trust when prejudice is all but abolished.

And there was something contenting, and happy, about that unselfishness. Even if it was selfish for him to do so.

* * *

><p><em>Takuya Kanbara<em>

Some lessons had a habit of smacking one full on the face. Being the one in charge at first was little more than a title...clothes too big for him essentially. The others were right to challenge him at times, and yet in the end he had not been the one that paid the price for an ill-thought plan.

He couldn't simply let things go though. Like the Kokuwamon in the Wind Factory. Like the babies at the Village of Beginnings (though that wasn't really his idea). Like the Burgermon...okay, that was mostly Izumi's idea anyway. Like the Flame Terminal. Heck, even like Tomoki, when Cerberusmon had been hungry for some meat and a spirit. He couldn't let those things stand.

Even as he stood at the edge of giving up, he couldn't. It wasn't bravery that stopped him. Seriously, how much bravery did it take to run away because you had a tail, funny looking ears and paws? In the end, it simply came down to the fact that he couldn't sit and wait while his friends were suffering. Never mind whether they were or weren't; point was, they could have been.

And his heart just wouldn't allow it. And so kindness took him further with leaps and bounds, giving him the means of attaining wisdom previously beyond his reach...and moulding him into a new age.

Courage, recklessness and friendship nudged him along. But it was kindness that gave the real push.

Seriously. Balancing at the edge of a broken rail was _not_ his idea of any sort of adventure.

* * *

><p><em>Kouji Minamoto<em>

Walling oneself off from the world is never the best way to go about things. 'I don't need friends, or family.' How many times had he said that to himself, till he almost believed it?

But he had never been content with that. And once those barriers fall away into nothingness, it was easy to see why. Kindness, one could crudely put as an opiate of sorts; a drug to thrive for and live off...and one could never simply experience one side of the equation and hope to be content.

Of course, reality wasn't quite so crude. Nor quite so simply put. And it put a newer perspective on things.

Or perhaps he should say old...as while it was kindness that released the golden virtue, it was not something in particular that had released the selfless desire for companionship and aiding.

Hn...it had even started before he had realised. Claiming he was only helping because "they had helped him first."

A sad thing indeed, that he had denied something to trying, yet so satisfying.

* * *

><p><em>Junpei Shibiyama<em>

Aargh! Why couldn't he have just walked away? He knew, obviously, that he would never be the man he was if he had, but it killed him at that point in time, where his head and heart argued: what he should do, but lacked the power, or the strength, or perhaps simply the courage, to do so.

It was the kind of thing that always existed, and always, it was hand in hand with something else. But the little Kokuwamon was the main trigger...the one he could pinpoint to the pivot. Envious of others while he basked in his own futility, he made the choice, driven from the need to protect a child who was willing to fight an adult's battle...forgetting momentarily, that he was simply a child himself. But a selfless desire; selfishness would have turned him far away. Other tools, other means...there were things he could do after all. Acts of compassion. Acts of need.

Kindness came first. Then came power.

* * *

><p><em>Izumi Orimoto<em>

How easily one thing transits to another. A chance encounter; a slight pain eased by a slighter touch, a band-aid over a forming blister, and a slow progressive walk thereafter. A small act of kindness, then a bond that could have grown into far more.

But envy spawned insecurity. Envy spawned rejection. Envy spawned a breaking of its bond.

And envy repaired it. Left it with a buckle mended for kindness to stick in with glue. Perhaps that glue really was permanent. Small, almost insignificant acts, that years later play some role in the world.

Even if it is only your little selfish world. Because it can never be selfish, so long as kindness exists in it.

* * *

><p><em>Tomoki Himi<em>

Kindness, he realised eventually, wasn't always crystal clear. Nor was anything really, but kindness in particular. To be cruel to be kind...it took him years to recognise the truth of that statement. Yutaka had tried to teach him the truth of the world so he didn't face it the harder road; a kindness dealt harshly to a boy struggling to grasp the integrity of the lesson it taught.

On the flipside, there were other consequences. Other causes. Like those Toucanmon; a small act of compassion which had both cost him and benefited him.

And he thought envy muddled lines. It seemed even virtues had at least more than a single face.

Even diamonds did. And they were supposed to be the symbol of purity.

But somehow, that light would always bounce back; small acts of kindness at one point could forge more ties and nets than one would imagine.

After all, look at him and his brother now. Look at the Toucenmon. Look at Datamon.

And look at the rest of his world.


	3. Lust

Author's Notes

I hadn't realised lust was such a difficult sin. Well, I had sort of. What with Butterflies' Flight and all, but seriously!

The first part was inspired by Yuma Kagura from the Data Squad game. Takuya's piece was inspired from Ken and his brother from season 2…sort of.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><span>Sins and Virtue<span>

Each person accuses themselves of at least one deadly sin. But to each sin, there is a virtue. Frontier-verse

* * *

><p><span>Lust<span>

* * *

><p><em>Kouji Minamoto<em>

Lust was a rather interesting sin. Ask someone, and the first thing they are liable to jump to if they're of mature age is sex appeal. They tend to forget that lust can apply towards any sort of desire, including a desire for familial love, or friendship or any sort of human contact. It doesn't even have to relate to humans at all, but he had everything else anyone could want, so that part didn't really apply to him.

His dog was as affectionate as any other, covering him with slobbery kisses and licks any time he felt he could get away with it, tripping him with the leash and dragging him around town every other time, except when he chases after cats and balls and sticks like every other dog. But that was just the problem; he was a dog, no substitute for human contact, though that was exactly the whole he had been filling for those three years of his life. He guessed a part of him, a rather substantial part, let that dog in for that very reason. He bypassed the loopholes. He didn't need friends, he told himself, once it dawned on him that it was impossible to maintain one through life. They would always lose. Either lose life, lose contact, or lose that bond that had once connected them. In the end, he gave up. He wanted them, oh so desperately, but it wasn't worth the loss.

His mother too. He didn't even remember her. All he had was a photo, one damned photo hiding in the back of a family portrait showing a new mother. She was nice enough, but he didn't want her. Because he wanted his real mother, and she wasn't her. He told himself it was because he didn't want a person close to his heart, but that was a lie. Lust was lust, and he couldn't settle for the substitute.

* * *

><p><em>Kouichi Kimura<em>

He wasn't sure what he had been after, when he had started to follow his brother. But he knew where he had wound up, in darkness, a hollow empty shell, was not it. At times, watching the richer, more prosperous life, he had wished it was _him_ in that place, but then he saw the loneliness and reconsidered.

Until there was nothing left to drive that reconsideration, and he was left wondering why it hadn't been him. He knew it was selfish, and for the main part, he was a remarkably selfless person, but there are times where everybody desired something with all their soul, and this was one of his. But with the pain it brought, he desired something else as well. Never to have to feel that pain, or that lust. To have the power to rewrite things so that no-body had to. To save both himself and others.

But instead, it warped into the antithesis.

* * *

><p><em>Izumi Orimoto<em>

She wasn't quite sure what she had really wanted. It was only afterwards that she realised she wanted to be a person that was both independent and admired, someone who was strong and didn't need another pair of hands to hold her up, but the hands were there, ready to catch her when she fell, all the same. It was only at the end of that journey, that she realised what she had wanted most of all, was to understand herself. To be a person she always saw but never connected with herself.

She found that a little ironic, but it had taken a deep look into her reflection to see the mirror image thereof.

* * *

><p><em>Junpei Shibayama<em>

He just wanted friends. People who knew him, who would walk him home from school when he forgot him umbrella. But at the same time, he realised he had never had such a friend. Basically, he lusted for something he hadn't really understood.

That was okay, relatively. Part of him was afraid of the very thing he desired, making him not the world's most amiable person. But the rest of him wanted to be liked in a way that meant he would be surrounded by people. Everyone had some sort of deep desire; this was, in simple terms, his.

* * *

><p><em>Takuya Kanbara<em>

Now that he thought about it, there were a lot of things he wanted. Not having to share the spotlight with his little brother was one of them…most of the time. There were quite a few moments where he wondered what it would be like to have stayed an only child; he had been four when that pedestal had been taken down a few notches. He hadn't been used to sharing the attention, and especially when his father's job suddenly got a whole lot bigger, he found himself always fighting for attention and being on the losing end.

It wasn't exactly envy; it was his brother following him around everywhere and being a particularly annoying shadow for the most part. But there was still many a time he wished he were still an only child, where he didn't have to fight for the last candy, didn't get told off for snapping at his brother because he wanted to play with _his_ friends and not a 'brat' four years younger than him. When they got that creative writing piece, he fantasized how it would be to still be an only child, where he could have what he wanted without the added responsibility and balance that came with having a sibling.

When he would stalk out of the house in all unfairness, he would think the same thing. What he would give not to have his little brother being such a pest, taking his parents attention away so they couldn't come to watch his soccer matches, or getting yelled at because the younger would wail and scream when he fought back. What he wouldn't give not to have to be the "responsible" one, where people would actually listen to what he had to say.

* * *

><p><em>Tomoki Himi<em>

His brother called him spoilt. Maybe he was, but it didn't really matter. He got everything he asked for, but that made the desires seem even more empty. When his brother scorned it, he failed to understand for the longest time, but his words left their mark, even then. Especially since no-one else liked him, except when it benefited them.

It wasn't like he wanted real friends; he was too young to really understand friendship at the time. But he wanted to be strong, that he was sure about. He didn't want to be pushed around, he desired the power to stand for himself. But whenever he was faced with something, the desire to give in to tears and fear overcame that. But he still wanted to be strong.

In other words, he was a baby of the world. And he wanted to grow up.


	4. Chastity

Author's Notes

This was a hard virtue, since nothing is absolutely pure, and relating them to those other scenes…I really should have thought ahead on this one. It's funny, because I normally do…

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><span>Sins and Virtue<span>

Each person accuses themselves of at least one deadly sin. But to each sin, there is a virtue. Frontier-verse

* * *

><p><span>Chastity<span>

* * *

><p><em>Kouji Minamoto<em>

To be chaste was to be pure, or rather that was how it was generically defined. Ironic, as light was also defined as pure. Or so they said. But that purity perhaps, as far as humans went, only existed before the first breath of a newborn, for once their senses open to the imperfect world, they desire air, sustenance…love.

Of course, when one grows older, it's no different. Those things are the necessities of live, that which can't be avoided. But control is learnt, and one understands better the balance between chastity and lust. Perhaps in the world as imperfect as the one they lived in there was nothing else that was entirely pure, but now that he no longer fought against his heart's desire, he found that there was after all an equilibrium…as fragile as it was. To love was both a blessing and a curse, but to want it and refrain oneself was far worse a wound. This wasn't a story where the grass is always greener on the other side after all.

You never could be chaste from love. But you could by accepting and embracing it.

* * *

><p><em>Kouichi Kimura<em>

Chastity he decided was not purity, but the balance between two extremes. Because what could be that pure, especially as far as humans were concerned? And as indecisive as they were, they rocked so much on the see-saw that it was almost impossible to detect the small moment of bliss wherein they existed in perfect harmony. For some people, it passed so fast that they would be left eternally searching for that moment of perfection only to be former damned in a useless cause.

He was luckier. Far luckier. Because when he had woken up from a coma that had touched both life and death and looked into his brother's eyes, and behind them, their friends and by the door, unseen by all else in the rain that began falling from the collective group of eyes, were his parents: mother, father and the stepmother he had never even met, standing together on the frame and weeping themselves.

For a few seconds, maybe less, there wasn't another thing in the world he wanted.

But his brother was gripping him a little too hard. He did need to breathe.

* * *

><p><em>Izumi Orimoto<em>

She supposed that even the happiest man in the world would be in want or need of something. It was inevitable. Looking into her reflection, she could see everything she wanted to be, but as well she could see everything she _was_.

Once she understood the latter better, the former dimmed in its sharp radiance. And that image served as a reminder for future use. Refraining from doing something and doing something else at times weren't even related. And all that time, she hadn't changed who she was inside. She had just seen it better.

That was one trap she had avoided. Changing for other people. If she would change, it would be for herself. And she had. Want and restraint had ended upon the same square.

* * *

><p><em>Junpei Shibiyama<em>

He had friends now. Best friends. But he saw them so little once they were back to the real world that he wanted some closer to home. And it had felt so much when something happened, Koichi's fall down the stairs and the twins' tearful family reunion, that he decided he had the best friends in the world anyway and wouldn't ever find any better.

He had that company, and he was glad. He saw what had happened to others with the same fear, and to be honest, his situation had been far better. There were more than one way of finding equilibriums.

* * *

><p><em>Takuya Kanbara<em>

Responsibility was a tough job he learnt. With great power came greater responsibility. That's what his parents always said to him and that was what he learnt the truth of in the Digital World, amongst other things. But at the same time that power was important. And once he returned, there was still responsibility attached to other things. Him being an older brother for one.

Sure he made a mess of things trying to find the right optimum. But he always somehow managed to clean up after himself.

* * *

><p><em>Tomoki Himi<em>

Now that he had grown up a little, he found he didn't need his parents' overconcern all that much. In fact, it got a little irritating when they wouldn't let him do the things he wanted to do…for a time. After all, he had been rather different, and it was understandable his parents needed time to witness the changes in him.

He had wondered what his brother had thought. All he had said out loud were some wise words of advice. 'Don't grow up too fast.'

Otherwise, he seemed happy enough his little brother wasn't hiding from the world anymore. Though when people don't say anything, it's a little hard to guess their intention.


	5. Gluttony

Author's Notes

I wrote half of this oversees and wrapped the rest of it after unpacking. *Yawns…* I'm hitting my bed now. A late Happy New Year and Merry Christmas everyone. Tend to lose track of time after travelling for almost a whole day and backwards over timezones.

This fic can get a tad annoying at times, so I'm sorry for the sparse updates. I'll try to update this fic faster, I want it finished and preferably ASAP.

Now, gluttony is a bit of a fickle sin in my opinion. At first thought it doesn't seem all that different from greed. But in my opinion gluttony is the uncontrollable, unquenchable desire for something. Once you get it, you can't help but want more and more and…well, you get the idea. Greed is more the you see something you haven't got and someone else has so you want it kind of thing.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><span>Sins and Virtue<span>

Each person accuses themselves of at least one deadly sin. But to each sin, there is a virtue. Frontier-verse

* * *

><p><span>Gluttony<span>

_Junpei Shibayama_

Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate. Why did science have to say what it did? Sure it had a lot of endorphins and stuff, made a person happy? Pffth. Happy in the scientific sense perhaps, but that wasn't happiness at all. All he really was was lonely. At start, during his first couple of years in elementary school, he had had trouble _connecting_ with other people. And that just turned into a great big mess.

Perhaps that was why magic tricks interested him so much. There was something appealing about fabrication, and illusion…but like chocolate, it turned into somewhat of an obsession. He didn't need friends anymore. He could have what he wanted. Maybe one could consider chocolate a drug. It did get somewhat addicting. Enough so that he carried kilos of them. Enough so that he put on quite a bit of weight.

Funny how a matter of ten minutes dealt with that.

* * *

><p><em>Izumi Orimoto<em>

Okay, so she had a lot of things she wanted. So what? Didn't everybody. But contrary to some others who focused more on their wants, her "unwants" came to the forefront of her academic and social life. They would after all, what with the movement across sea and the culture shock and the new school and all.

She could start with a pretty decent sized list. She didn't like the quiet, expectant and practically subservient girls. She didn't like what seemed to be cultural and specifically age and gender wrought stereotypes. She didn't like the fact that most girls found the need of requesting a companion escort them to the bathroom. Hmmph. She didn't like the "cute" artefacts they wasted their money on. She didn't like the gaga looks they adapted at the sight of a cute older boy, no matter how terrifically horrid they might be inside.

Of course, that list went on. And on. And on. It would. It was essentially the bane of her existence in Japan; being a misfit and all in the natural society. And kept finding ways not to fit in.

And once she got the chance to go back and review, she noted that a lot of them were petty. And quite a bit more due to ill adaption. Funny how that was. And funny how being thrown into an alien universe fixed that right up.

* * *

><p><em>Takuya Kanbara<em>

His little brother had a habit of grating his nerves. He would, his parents practically doted on him. Sometimes it made him feel like he was the experiment for the new parents to perfect the art of parenting with their honeymoon baby before having a proper one they could care and nurture. A ridiculous notion, he knew that. It was only when he was especially angry and frustrated that he thought that.

But still. Shinya had it easy. He got to kick him off the playstation. He was the one who slipped out of punishment when he had a healthy share of the wrong. _And_ he could cook and calculate things better; Takuya really was hopeless at math.

* * *

><p><em>Kouji Minamoto<em>

What exactly did he want? Well…to be honest, that was quite a difficult question. He thought he wanted to be alone, _left_ alone to be honest. After a few years he managed to work that one out. Easy enough. Once that was done, he wanted to stay enough. Still making perfect sense. The nonsensical irrational part to be quite frank was the part where he longed for company.

The world was never in need for want, but in want for need eh?

* * *

><p><em>Tomoki Himi<em>

Okay, so he couldn't exactly blame his brother in the end. He had always thought the other was jealous; he got everything he asked for because his parents could afford the luxuries as he grew up. His brother had to work for where he was, a fact Yutaka was quick to remind him of. But as a child he grew accustomed to that along with growing with age, so he couldn't help but ask when he saw something he wanted and he couldn't help wanting things he saw. It wasn't really something he could help. It was just the way he grew up.

Of course, one day that would have to change, when he was cast into the real world without that cushion.

Of course, there was the other extreme as well.

* * *

><p><em>Kouichi Kimura<em>

What's so wrong about wanting the happy ever after ending? Well, apart from the fact that the ultimate fairy-tale conclusion existed only there, in fairy-tales. But when one small part of the puzzle finally comes together with the fragmented whole, one tends to expect the rest will fall together as well. The disappointment is bitter when that is not the case.

It's never the case, but one only ever notices the tightness of the shoes once they have had the chance to sit in comfort. When the matters are big, smaller things become inconsequential. Chasing a half-dream, half-nightmare in a fever-induced desperation, one doesn't exactly think about what happens after. It seems so simple at the time: find Kouji, introduce him to kaa-san, and everyone lives happily ever after.

But no. He had forgotten the little things. Some string would always be loose. Was it so bad to want it to all come together? But one could never reach perfection; forever would the horse pine for its grass.


	6. Temperance

Author's Notes

Part of Izumi's piece was inspired by the Frontier Maiden Anabel in Pokémon frontier. The quote is: "it's getting your ego out of the way that truly gets to know someone else." Or something like that. Haven't watched it for a while.

Heh, haven't gotten around to my normal updates because of the new ideas occupying my brain. Unfortunately not quite through with those yet. And Autocycle's become the longest fic to date and only about a quarter done…hang on, not quite. One fifth excluding the last chapter. *shrinks* looks extra big now…

Enjoy, and tell me what you think. One more chapter and halfway! Yay!

* * *

><p><span>Sins and Virtue<span>

Each person accuses themselves of at least one deadly sin. But to each sin, there is a virtue. Frontier-verse

* * *

><p><span>Temperance<span>

_Junpei Shibayama_

Everything worked best in moderation. Once there hadn't been that limit; it hadn't been required. He had nothing to balance, but now he had friends.

Friends vs. chocolate seemed odd, but it wasn't so. More generally was the soul vs. body, and the happiness of each being maintained. After truly achieving a new height of his personnel, focusing on the illusionist aspect that he had created himself didn't seem all that important. It wasn't like friends replaced anything else; they simply took the slot in life they always should have, rather than spreading the time out where it wasn't needed.

Of course, he still had to make sure he had time for everything else. And yes, that included his hobby of magic tricks that kept both him and the kids in the park entertained. And the chocolate. No harm in indulging one's sweet tooth once in a while…right?

* * *

><p><em>Izumi Orimoto<em>

She understood herself a little better, and in turn she understood others too. Japanese society was the same as it always was, but coming back from the Digital World she found she fit in a little better…all because she had unlocked the doors of her heart and looked through them.

Nothing had changed in that aspect. Her opinion was still the same. Her list was still the same. Going back to it though, she realised she had been reading it wrong. She didn't _hate_ the quiet subservience, or the "cute" little keyrings…actually, once she gave them a chance, she found that they went quite well with her backpack…and as friends, even though she herself could never be one.

It was about balance. After all, they had thought pretty much the same of her. But it was all a case of opposites attract. And a matter of putting aside a wall and unlocking a door and peering inside. A matter of putting one's ego out of the way to truly get to know other people.

But even in there was a balance. One couldn't sacrifice themselves for the sake.

* * *

><p><em>Takuya Kanbara<em>

He realised that just because he was hopeless at some things, didn't make him a dunce at others. He was good at debating for one thing, and he wasn't a half-bad fighter. He had a kick-ass fire spirit and even matched on par with Kouji who had professional training…though the other could still best him when it came to matters of hand to hand combat; he'd probably land on his head before swinging on a pole like the other had when they were finally introduced. If you call that an introduction.

So what if he flunked a few math tests…and a few science for that matter. He aced English (mainly because it was practically pure speaking at that stage). He aced sport, and he wasn't half bad at Japanese either.

And sure he stuffed up at being a good big brother half the time…but if he didn't, there'd be something very very wrong.

* * *

><p><em>Kouji Minamoto<em>

Okay, so he was an idiot for thinking, or rather trying to make himself believe, that he didn't need friends or family. But at the same time, he didn't need to lose them either.

They come and go, it's a fact of life.

It was one that he had to simply live with. He lost his mother. He lost a truckload of friends. He lost a pet before Ootami. He gained Ootami. He gained a mother. And another. And a brother, and the best friends in the whole world.

And he almost lost his brother again. He didn't, but there would always be that overhang. What mattered though was he made the time with them as memorable as he could. Because that's the best anyone can do.

* * *

><p><em>Tomoki Himi<em>

Yutaka was pretty surprised when Tomoki finally got home from the hospital, though his parents were in dithers about their precious baby.

'I'm fine,' he managed to placate them, but his brother's suspicious eyes followed him all the way up to bed.

The next few days were pretty much the same, visiting his friends (except Kouichi when he got out of the hospital because of the mere distance) and going about his own things. He found himself having to beg to be able to do it on his own though; his parents had been as used to he as the mollycoddling.

'I'll take him,' his older brother cut in one day, and Tomoki gratefully followed him out the door. Yutaka _never_ volunteered to take him somewhere.

'Just don't overdo it,' his brother responded once the green eyes looked up to him.

Yes, there was that too. His brother really had a way of killing his mood.

* * *

><p><em>Kouichi Kimura<em>

Okay, so there wasn't a such thing as a happily ever after ending, but there were times when the real one was far more satisfying. There were times when it was bitter, sure, but one couldn't forget the other half of the equation.

Disappointment tended to drown out the silver lining, but he knew the consequences of surrendering such memories for the protection against the harsh welts…the only thing that could defend really. Numbness.

After experiencing that, after _being_ that…keeping on that seesaw was far more important. And easier…maybe because it was screaming now.

And he couldn't exactly tell it to shut up.

Not that he would…but still…


	7. Wrath

Author's Notes

Hehe, that wasn't too bad a wait, was it? I forgot to say which pair was up next. The virtue coming up is patience.

Really struggled with Junpei's part. Spent hours trying to think of a scene where he was "angry". Tweaked definitions in the end. Kaito Lune might recognise the inspiration.

As for the comment about Midnight's Sun, see Approaching Dusk. It's a collection of poems, and one of them, the one called Midnight Sun I think, has the explanation.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><span>Sins and Virtue<span>

Each person accuses themselves of at least one deadly sin. But to each sin, there is a virtue. Frontier-verse

* * *

><p><span>Wrath<span>

* * *

><p><em>Kouichi Kimura<em>

It seemed almost strange to him how easy heart-wrenching loneliness, coupled with sadness and tears, trickling down his cheeks, could turn into an uncontrollable, exploding anger. How easily pain could be turned into power, failure and death turning from his heart to his hands, the blood red swords that could stab them into someone, anyone, and ridding himself from them. The cold hard armour on his chest, black as the midnight without its sun, keeping them out of him, away from his heart.

The anger felt cold, contrasted to the burning agony as the salty waters poured from his eyes like a low-scaled waterfall. It released the fire, controlled it, squelched it…caged it really. Then the anger faded too with nothing to hold on to it, an emotionless shell, until it was hammered and pounded until it broke into three pieces, and wrath, the large vulture, the colour of old, dried blood, took flight with a roar that shook the desolate plains.

* * *

><p><em>Takuya Kanbara<em>

He felt he had a perfectly justified reason for being as mad as all hell…or madder, if there was a such phrase to describe that. Still, the level of wrath described by the deepest pit of the hellfire seemed to fall short in comparison to the fire that literally burst from his heart. After the frozen minute or so of shock of course.

Lucemon had, after all, just murdered one of them, and not a digimon but a human being who had little if any hope of being reborn as a digiegg (according to RhodoKnightmon, that was currently unknown), and _gloated_ over his victory as he struck down the boy who had thrown himself between the two orbs in an effort to keep them combining, in an effort to save his friends...

And then he had the _nerve_ to try and defile that image, calling the courage an act of foolishness…

Who wouldn't be mad upon hearing that?

* * *

><p><em>Tomoki Himi<em>

It almost sickened him, thinking back, once the memories had returned to him, how close he had come to being the very person he had loathed. Worse in fact, but it wasn't a defenceless kid who looked like he would wet his pants, was it? No, it was the friends that picked him up when he fell down.

Insecure as he was, the nightmare found its grip easily. He'd already been on shaky ground; their friendship hadn't exactly had an age to develop. So it was easy, so easy to believe they really thought him weak, pathetic…like a snivelling little worm cowering under a rock.

And that was, essentially the last straw. Before he even realised it, he had picked up a stick from the fire, still smoldering…

…smouldering, spitting sparks, like the anger that rose within him.

* * *

><p><em>Junpei Shibiyama<em>

Being annoyed and being angry seemed to be synonymous, but they weren't always so. Not when it comes to wrath anyway. Takuya especially had a habit of annoying him with the whole "hero boy" act; he'd already corrupted Tomoki for goodness sake.

No, he wasn't mad. Just annoyed. He was no hero. He was just a guy who had chocolate and magic tricks and couldn't even work out how to get people to like him.

He was just a guy with Pagumon chasing his tail. A guy who got left behind as even the shrimp and the princess got spirits and kicked some digital butt. A guy who looked into the face of metal and then turned his head at their predicament…just as they wanted. They were perfectly happy to go on the way they were. But the annoying hero face had to rear its head.

And it was only annoying because he wasn't it.

* * *

><p><em>Izumi Orimoto<em>

Sure she had a temper. Sure she let it get the better of her on occasion. Sure that had ruined a potential friendship.

But she was allowed on occasion. And on occasion it was rather advantageous. Look at Ranamon's defeat…

…of course, despite how much she despised the water sprite, it hadn't been _her_ wrath that did the damage in the end…

…actually, it kind of was, wasn't it?

* * *

><p><em>Kouji Minamoto<em>

When Duskmon had unorthodoxly thrown the truth in his face, the first thing he had felt was angry. Fury, undiluted rage, had rose up within him, squelching the black-clad enemy that had bested him time and time again into a mess of shell and black sludge, much like a squashed beetle once the accidental perpetrator lifts his boot to investigate the consequence. He threw his sword forward, with the weight of his double spirit evolution behind it, and with a sense of grim satisfaction found the other bucking, shrinking and, in a sense, cowering under the force.

The suddenly awoken monster within him relished as the other struggled between footing and hold as his own red blades shook with the effort to stopping the onward journey of the dual-headed sabre. The weight shifted; finally, the one who had bested him too often was being bested himself. How _dare_ he try to throw him off like that? How dare he attack his heart like that?

But the look on his face…

And Duskmon was pushing, pushing back.


	8. Patience

Author's Notes

Up next is Greed/Charity.

Aargh, wasn't too thrilled with Kouji's part. Came out a little shorter than I intended.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><span>Sins and Virtue<span>

Each person accuses themselves of at least one deadly sin. But to each sin, there is a virtue. Frontier-verse

* * *

><p><span>Patience<span>

* * *

><p><em>Kouichi Kimura<em>

He really wasn't the type to blow up. Blow over maybe, but not blow _up_. It was irrationality that had spawned the mess that had followed. Of course, one can't exactly be expected to be calm and patient when they think themselves dead; that little fiasco was rather out of his hands. Running down the stairs instead of waiting for the next elevator however…if there hadn't been that panic sitting in his chest, born out of a soup of conflicting emotion and his own fear…or perhaps cowardice, maybe he never would have fallen down the stairs to begin with.

Something had just told him he couldn't wait. Funny how patience wasn't always a virtue, because if he hadn't ran down those stairs, he would have missed a very valuable life's lesson. And who knows? There was also the distinct possibility that they may never have been friends…

* * *

><p><em>Takuya Kanbara<em>

Okay, so he was all ready to punch the living daylights (if the guy even had them; he certainly didn't deserve them) but several things stopped him. The fact that he was on fire (literally), the fact that Kouji behind him was screaming in pain…and the fact that he could suddenly hear the other's heart thumping almost in synchrony with his own, feel the horror, shock, sadness, anguish…and God forbid, guilt siphoning over the other. Probably the reverse was also happening, but he realised after a moment that the other's emotions were counteracting his own, balancing the undiluted range, releasing rationale.

As the guards and armour formed around him, his mind calmed as it fused with the other. The other smirked and launched a fury of fists…which they took together, calmly, patiently…just waiting for the option that would turn the tide. Waiting for the moment where the silver lining would shine bright.

* * *

><p><em>Tomoki Himi<em>

Somehow, the memory of that nightmare returned once the rampaging Vritramon had succeeded in sending half the forest alight and crushing half the level ground. That was what coaxed him from the race (with Bokomon in the lead, yelling "back to the burning forest"), staying his stumbling feet.

Vritramon…no, Takuya. Deep down, he was Takuya, loomed over him. Slowly, patiently, he looked the other in the eye. Talked to him, pleaded with him. Slowly, patiently…and it worked. Where yelling and fighting and all that hadn't.

* * *

><p><em>Junpei Shibiyama<em>

The Kokuwamon really touched him. Willing to go in there and risk his neck for freedom. That's what pushed him into the Wind Factory. But once he was inside, he realised he had absolutely no idea what he was planning on doing, or what he _could_ do.

Calm down, that was the first thing. Forget he didn't have a spirit. He was there because he was doing something without that. The second thing…

He looked around, ignoring the Snimon launching its blades or Takuya dodging them…

There. There was something he could do.

* * *

><p><em>Izumi Orimoto<em>

She realised she shouldn't have been mean. She shouldn't have yelled at her. She shouldn't have been cold right back to her when the other ignored her out of hurt. There was more than a small simple fib.

She should have been more patient…

'Oh, you're such a goody two shoes…'

Her eyes widened, then cleared.

* * *

><p><em>Kouji Minamoto<em>

The truth, shoved on as it was, was so hard to accept at first, but when Velgmon, torn apart in pain and having departed and he followed on in chase, time gave him enough to think. His feet ran, but his mind fumbled around the idea.

He had to stop running eventually.


	9. Greed

Author's Notes

I actually wrote this and the next part simultaneously; found it easier. It actually took less time to write them together then separately. Junpei's is actually in reverse order…funnily enough. And we get to see chibi-Kouichi too.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><span>Sins and Virtue<span>

Each person accuses themselves of at least one deadly sin. But to each sin, there is a virtue. Frontier-verse

* * *

><p><span>Greed<span>

* * *

><p><em>Izumi Orimoto<em>

Was it selfish to want to find a place in the world without having to change to fit into it? She hadn't thought so, nor did she still. She was who she was, with traits that labelled her as _her_: independent, rather headstrong…and other traits that people associated with her personality and upbringing and defensive mechanisms, mechanisms born out the fact that she was trying to squeeze into a place where she couldn't fit. Traits like snobbish, stuck-up…the likes really. Arrogant even.

It wasn't fair though; she shouldn't have to change to fit in, to have friends and people who would carry on civil conversations with her and not treat her as the reject, second to the rest of the world's population.

It took the Digital World to make her realise she was forcing herself into someone else's spot instead of finding her own mould in the tray of baking cookies. And not even giving her own away for compensation; as much as she later realised she hadn't known herself well at all or the consequences of her sharp tongue, she had destroyed as many friendships as she had lost in retaliation.

* * *

><p><em>Takuya Kanbara<em>

'It's my turn!'

'No it's _not_!'

He reached for the control, but the other hunched over, burying it into his stomach and somehow managing to coax his character a few paces along in the process, almost falling over the looming cliff. The younger boy stubbornly clutched the device, glaring at his older brother as the other tried to coerce it out of his grip.

'It is too, and besides, it's my game anyway!'

'No! No! No! No!' Shinya clutched the control, and the character went over the edge. 'Oh no! Look what you made me do. Now I have to start all over again…'

He pulled a pout which failed to deter the other.

'No you won't. It's my turn.'

He finally succeeded in snatching the control…and the other burst into tears. In the end, their mother made him surrender the game.

It wasn't fair. The other had been playing it all day. And it was _his_ game.

* * *

><p><em>Tomoki Himi<em>

'Oh cool.' The nine year old had his eyes stuck to the television screen, sitting between both parents. 'Can I have one of those?'

'Of course you can sweetie,' his mother said, smiling at him.

'You can even have three,' his father added. 'One for you playroom and a friend as well.'

'I only need one,' Tomoki replied, rather half-heartedly. It would be rather fun to play with more. He doubted the rest of the kids at school had them. They'd be jealous.

* * *

><p><em>Junpei Shibayama<em>

He snapped off an edge of the chocolate, nibbling at it. He fidgeted with the cards he had pulled from his pocket. A kid snuck up, eyeing the cards in interest, or rather, how they shuffled, changed and disappeared.

'Oh, can you play a trick for me?' he asked. 'Please?'

He looked up, a little startled. He had been unconsciously shuffling them. Once upon a time, he would have jumped at the chance and pulled out every trick in the book, but he an appointment with-

'Hey!' A few familiar figures waved a little distantly.

'Sorry kid, gotta run.'

'But-'

He was gone, unable to wait for the get-together with his friends and the fun they had planned.

'Are you bothering people again?' a sharp woman's voice scolded.

'Nope.' The boy sounded rather cheerful. 'Ooh, butterfly.' And already distracted, he ran off happily.

* * *

><p><em>Kouichi Kimura<em>

He didn't have as much to call his own as the others in his class, and sometimes it did bother him how they liked to rub it in his face. He ignored them mostly; a lot of the time he couldn't really care less. So what if he didn't have the material things others did. He had a loving mother and grandmother who taught and showed him all sorts of interesting things. They taught him how to whittle little figures from stray wood, far cuter than the keychains sold at the bazaar downtown. They taught him how to make yummy food far healthier and tastier than the ones the restaurants served. They taught him how to read and ride before he even started school so he was already borrowing books from the library and learning more and getting read to on one of the women's laps.

That turned out to be quite an advantage, both scholastically and with the outcasting social perspective. There were plenty of books to read, things to learn…and he even had the pleasure, though sometimes it bore a hole through his stomach and brought a yucky taste to his mouth when he thought about it, of watching others struggle through their coursework. He could have helped, but they didn't ask and he didn't offer. He kept his knowledge to himself.

* * *

><p><em>Kouji Minamoto<em>

There wasn't room in his heart for _her_. He already had a mother, smiling at him from the lone photo and thinking about him somewhere in heaven, and a father who admittedly wasn't perfect in real life but tried his hardest to raise up a rather difficult child on his own. Not difficult in the manner of being disabled or intellectually impaired or anything like that. Simply being rather stubborn and antisocial, especially after his father's job forced them away from their first home…and to keep relocating thereafter.

His heart already had all the things it could fit. The last had been a stray puppy he had taken an immediate attraction to, starving as it had been by the dumpster. He had refused to leave the poor pup behind, so father, son and dog had trudged around Japan, leaving any friends he had made behind.

Eventually, he split his heart amongst those three; father, dog and the mother somewhere in heaven.

There wasn't any space for Satomi.


	10. Charity

Author's Notes

*Pouts* No-body reviewed last chapter...but I did get a lot of favourites *brightens up again*. Hey, I'm a gal.

Izumi's piece is a little obscure; the connection isn't all that plain. But charity comes in all shapes and forms. _"Even a smile can be charity."_ Ever heard of that saying? Our club at uni gave out smiley face badges one time promoting that…

Up next is Sloth/Diligence. And then the finale…and yes, I saved the Pride pair last for a reason. Luceomon is after all the only Demon Lord to make an appearance in season 4.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><span>Sins and Virtue<span>

Each person accuses themselves of at least one deadly sin. But to each sin, there is a virtue. Frontier-verse

* * *

><p><span>Charity<span>

* * *

><p><em>Izumi Orimoto<em>

She had always liked experimenting, especially when it came to cooking. She shared it with her parents, but adults liked change far less than children. At the Burgermon villiage, cooking was far more enjoyable, especially when she collaborated with Junpei and Tomoki and Papa Burgermon (yes, even under death threat and the threat to those poor little children) to make that scrumptious burger. Somehow having all those hands helping out had made it taste so much better. She'd tried to replicate it and eventually had succeeded, but while even her parents had exclaimed at the delicious taste in their mouth, when she had tasted it on the empty table, it had seemed lacking.

That day, a new family had moved in across the street, and on the spur of the moment, she had packed a bunch and taken them with her. There was a girl a year older there, bent over a whole bunch of uniforms, most of which she recognised…thanks to Kouji. She had been thrilled, and so had her parents and little brother, and they'd sat down immediately and offered her one to snack on. She made to decline…until the little boy latched onto her knee.

It tasted a lot better watching the little kid talk his mouth off and the elder girl scowl at him. A rather familiar sort of scowl.

'Grow up,' she muttered, before giving Izumi a bit of an apologetic look.

* * *

><p><em>Takuya Kanbara<em>

'No, no. Over there.' He pointed to the screen. 'Go get it.'

The little character on the screen chased after the mushroom with both Kanbara brothers cheering at it. With a massive leap, courtesy of the younger brother while using a new trick his elder had taught him, the mass of pixels jumped into the air and landed on top of its prize.

'All right!' they both cheered, pumping fists.

'Arigato Onii-chan-hey!' Shinya pouted again as his brother ruffled his hair, messing up all his hard work in getting it to lie flat. The brown mop was well on its way to following the Kanbara tradition. 'You messed up my hair.'

He jumped on the elder, reaching for the hat and knocking it up. Five minutes later, their character was tapping its foot impatiently while both brothers sprouted identical hairdos, the woe of the mother who had to display them.

Shinya handed over his control. Grinning, Takuya shoved it back. It was kind of fun helping his brother along. He could get used to it.

'Don't overdo it though,' he warned.

* * *

><p><em>Tomoki Himi<em>

'Hey! Leave him alone!'

The two tall figures looked up, abandoning the smaller one they had been shoving around.

'Aww, the little pipsquick wants some too?'

'No,' the other replied, rather calmly all things considered and much to the surprise of his elder brother. 'I want you to leave him alone.'

The two bullies weren't dumb enough to try anything with a college student watching them, so that was what they did. The victim however still sniffed.

'I'm too weak to fight them off,' he sobbed.

Tomoki kneeled down beside them. 'That's okay,' he said reassuringly. 'Fighting bullies is just as bad as being a bully. Standing up to them isn't the same thing.'

The boy still looked rather miserable, but two smiles, one of reassurance and one of approval and pride, made the corners of his mouth twitch too.

'Want to go for ice-cream?' Yutaka offered suddenly. 'My treat.'

'Really?'

* * *

><p><em>Junpei Shibiyama<em>

There was a bunch of kids playing cards, practically at his feet, but none of them made a notion to offer to let him play with them.

'Urgh.' One of them threw his pair down. 'This is so boring.

Seeing an opportunity, Junpei stood.

'Hey kids. Want to see some tricks?'

'Ooh, yeah.' Suddenly, they were all crowding around him.

He shuffled the cards, letting them fly and making sure he didn't drop them like he sometimes did. He went through all the ones he could manage, ending with swapping the five cards in his hand for chocolate bars which he handed to the enthusiastic kids, giving the entire deck back to the eldest.

They thanked him, before shooting off.

Hmmph, if that's what he got for being _nice_…

* * *

><p><em>Kouichi Kimura<em>

It was much nicer now that he had real friends and everyone was happy and no-one bothered about the petty things. Perhaps the reason they had been so strung up on it was because they were rather unhappy; his mother had been because she had to work so hard to provide for him and he was unhappy for the same, especially after his grandmother passed away. Even worse was when he had seen his father, and brother, for the first time, and how much more at ease and happier he had seemed.

To say his classmates were shocked when he offered to explain something was rather an understatement. But he wasn't the sort of person that came out as a "know-it-all" so the help was rather welcome.

And people were less inclined to bother him when he made a bit of an effort on his own part. Funny how that worked. The old "you had to spend to give" policy.

* * *

><p><em>Kouji Minamoto<em>

The Digital World had cracked open the nut that was his heart, revealing all the soft fruit within it, growing, thriving and plentiful to share and still remain. Enough space for his _alive_ mother. Enough for a brother he had never remembered. Enough for the four best friends he had ever had.

And enough for Satomi too, whom he should never taken his hurt and coldness and longing out on.

But he had…so he had to start making it up.

Baby steps…

Almost shyly, he held out the flowers with a tentative smile. She almost started bawling like a baby, but luckily she held herself.

He didn't think he could take a truckload of tears.


	11. Sloth

Author's Notes

Sloth is defined as emotional apathy, but is also used to refer to people who fall into dejection, lose interest in life and/or are inactive. Funny how people generally take it to be laziness when it's more accurately said to be depression. So I've collected little "helpless" moments. The Frontier characters are really going to kill me for this one.

They'd better not. I won't be able to perk them up in the next "chapter" then. Though Kouji got lucky. The reason I didn't pick the more obvious scene was because it related a little too closely to Izumi's situation. That and I didn't want to try and squish it into a hundred or so words.

You'll notice that some themes keep cropping up. There things I call "pivoting events". I think it's quite obvious why.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><span>Sins and Virtue<span>

Each person accuses themselves of at least one deadly sin. But to each sin, there is a virtue. Frontier-verse

* * *

><p><span>Sloth<span>

* * *

><p><em>Tomoki Himi<em>

Laughter echoed all around him. He fought it off with a whimper, which only prompted the laughter to sound all that much louder and harder.

They were all bigger than him, stronger than him, meaner than him. They hovered over him, clean while his pants soaked and sagged in mud. The last time he had tried to fight them off, he hadn't even managed to get off the ground and all he had received for his troubles had been a few broken ribs instead of bruises. That had caused one of his parents' rare scoldings and consequent grounding. Which had made people laugh and tease all the more as he walked between home and school.

But how could he fight them? How could he get them to leave him alone? He was too small, too weak.

It hurt a lot less to let them laugh and enjoy themselves. It was less to his expense.

* * *

><p><em>Kouichi Kimura<em>

His legs wouldn't carry him anymore. His feet refused to run any further. His knees refused to prop him up…as did his neck. He didn't mind the last all too much though; it spared him having to watch another piece of his heart move away from him, leaving him in a never-ending patch of darkness.

He collapsed, knees hitting darkness without a sound, hands joining them as four limbs took over to try what two could not, but he could still feel himself caving in, collapsing…

The darkness glared still, taunting. There was nothing else. _Nothing_.

It was all over. Dead.

'Why? _Why?_'

He bowed his head, as trickles of tears began to creep down his cheeks.

* * *

><p><em>Junpei Shibayama<em>

He didn't have spirits. Not like the others. It was all just fine and savvy for _them_ to prance around, going on about liberating the Digimon from their labour-prison. It was fine for _them_ to be the heroes. It was fine for _them_ to look down on him for being unable to muster up the same enthusiasm. They had the means for defending themselves, means far stronger than he had. Worse, they had the ticket home he lacked.

They could hardly expect him to run into the midst of heavy batons. They could hardly expect him to risk his skull for a bunch of Digimon too weak to help themselves.

Like he really cared. All he wanted was out of this topsy-turvy world.

* * *

><p><em>Kouji Minamoto<em>

His body curled inwards as his head slumped onto his knees.

'I can't…' he uttered, powerlessness oozing from every decibel of his voice. 'I just can't do it.'

He couldn't. Not after finally finding a truth he wished to all Gods out there he had never tried to find. He could have been content, not happy but at least _content_, not knowing that his life had been a living lie. Not knowing that years for pining for his dead mother had been wasted, when she had been alive, somewhere, with her other son…all the time _he_ could have had with her…and with a brother who was now twisted and reshaped beyond believe by the cursed darkness that was telling him to destroy his own pain forever, by destroying _him_.

The light that had made it all that much worse.

How could he fight again knowing all that? There was no truth to chase…no more. And the consequence…

He couldn't. He just couldn't. He'd have to be able to impale himself upon his own sword first.

* * *

><p><em>Izumi Orimoto<em>

Why should _she_ have to try to fit in? Why couldn't others do the harder parts for a change, try and understand the culture she had studied and lived for so long in?

Why was she the one who had to change? Especially when the world remained so tight against her, not let her fit in…

It was just so much easier not to care what they thought, to just be "her" even if it was a her in defiance.

Even if she didn't take the care to look deeper inside both others and herself.

* * *

><p><em>Takuya Kanbara<em>

His body just slumped as the other let go. He was right. It really was no use. They'd tried everything: human spirit, beast, fusion, unified…even Susanoomon, the ultimate fusion had failed to stop Lucemon and his rampage.

Instead…they had opened the doorway for him. The doorway that he flew through to wreck havoc onto the human world, _their_ world, destroying it just as he destroyed the Digital World…

…and there was no way for them to stop it. No way for _him_ to stop it.

Even if there had been a way, if the ten warriors really could unite…it was impossible. There were only five warriors now.

Five useless, battered warriors. Shells of warriors really. Hollow, empty…drained. Helpless, utterly helpless.

What sort of warrior got beaten every step of the way?


	12. Diligence

Author's Notes

Last lot left now. Pride…and humility. Unfortunately, I didn't give that part all that much thought. Funny I even got this far seeing as I was very tempted to delete it before even posting the first chapter...

Enjoy. And all you people reading this…feedback please?

* * *

><p><span>Sins and Virtue<span>

Each person accuses themselves of at least one deadly sin. But to each sin, there is a virtue. Frontier-verse

* * *

><p><span>Diligence<span>

* * *

><p><em>Tomoki Himi<em>

His hands tightened on the burning stick as they spread, grasping it both firmly and strongly. No more, he decided. No more would he sit and be idle as he was ridiculed by others, driven down by terror and powerlessness. He had power in his hands…

-he brandished his makeshaft weapon, his smouldering stick, and with some satisfaction watched the shadowy assailants back away a little-

…and in his pocket, weighting him down, inviting him.

He had the means to be strong, and fight back. He might as well use them.

* * *

><p><em>Kouichi Kimura<em>

He gritted his teeth, ignoring the fatigue that seeped into his limbs as he strained against the other. That other, that one who used his accursed light and burnt away the darkness he _needed_ to survive, to be numb and painless…

He had given up. But he _talked_ so much. And his _memories_…

…and yet he had to keep striving to know the truth. To see what it was about the boy within the armour that hurt him so. And he had to keep the numbness that held that pain at bay.

He even went so far as to give up his humanity for it. But it was all for naught.

Or maybe not. Because between sloth and diligence, he had come in a full circle.

* * *

><p><em>Junpei Shibayama<em>

'I can.'

The words were out of his mouth before he was even conscious of saying them. It was that child Kokuwamon that had sparked them, he noticed with growing interest. That little kid was brave enough to stand up for his friends and family, even though all he could summon up were sparks that were utterly useless against the goblins or their cages. Hell, if they were any good, none of them would have been in that situation to begin with.

Nor would him and his friends. But there had to be something he could do. He would go, and find out. That kid was right. He _couldn't_ stand and wait.

And there was. That…and more.

* * *

><p><em>Kouji Minamoto<em>

One of these days he was going to pay Takuya back for all that yelling and manhandling and knocking sense into him. Maybe he'd get lucky and one day the brunet would be needing some sense knocked into him…

…as if that would ever happen. The goggle-head was as stubborn as anything, always running around and doing things his own way…and generally getting it done too.

But he was right. They had to stop Velgmon. It didn't matter about anything else; wild as he was, he'd destroy everything in sight and thensome, including them.

Including sweet little Patamon who had the guts to take on something one hundredth his time.

And buried deep in that roar, he could hear someone crying for help. Two someones actually as he managed to pull himself out of the split earth and find Ardhamon being squeezed like a melon in the other's grasp while Patamon tumbled in his Papamon's grip.

He gritted his teeth, before taking his D-scanner in his hand.

* * *

><p><em>Izumi Orimoto<em>

She could have been nicer. She could have _tried_ harder. It had just seemed so much easier to blame others for not wanting anything to do with her than her own reluctance to change and adapt to the situation. It was just that much easier to say they didn't know her at all, the selfish snobs, than take a closer look inside and accept the fact that _she_ didn't know herself all that well either.

And it was a long and hard road understanding that, and even more treacherous a path seeing the warrior of wind inside her. The true warrior of wind that is, not just a child who took up the spirits with enough credibility to wield them. Someone who actually understood herself, and others too. And someone who was willing to confront that.

And just like that, her eyes cleared.

* * *

><p><em>Takuya Kanbara<em>

No, he couldn't give up. Agunimon was right. They_ all_ were right. He couldn't just give up. They'd come too far, sacrificed too much to let it all go. Too many people were relying on them. Too many…humans, and digimon.

And they _did_ have the means to do it, he realised, staring at his hands as the elevator fell forward with a crash. Perhaps Neemon was right. If they could summon Susanoomon…

He turned around, a smile weighing on his lips as he turned to regard the others. Five humans, and the ten legendary warrior spirits.

He'd be damned if they didn't give it at least one more try. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if the Demon Lord got his way and destroyed both words on their watch. _And_ they had a score to settle with Lucemon.

Not to mention Kouichi would probably hunt him down from the afterlife and kill him thrice over for giving up on him.


	13. Pride

Author's Notes

And the next chapter coming up…some time next week. I actually finished this on Friday but I wasn't going to post two chapters up at once. Not for the same story anyway; it's so annoying trying to get the internet to behave in those instances. My modem doesn't like it for some reason and unfortunately I have to listen to it.

Now for the actual chapter. Pride is considered the original and most serious of the deadly sins and the source of all the others. The sin is coupled with the desire to be better than others, failing to acknowledge the good and worth of others and thinking too much of one-self. However, like all the other "sins", it is considered much more when looked at with a wider scope. It could be just being happy with one's own self and achievements.

The other opposite of pride is guilt…but that seemed a little too depressing to be a "virtue". Especially one to end with.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><span>Sins and Virtue<span>

Each person accuses themselves of at least one deadly sin. But to each sin, there is a virtue. Frontier-verse

* * *

><p><span>Pride<span>

* * *

><p><em>Takuya Kanbara<em>

He _knew_ he was right. There was no way they could lose if they all worked together as a team. After all, there was only one of him, and a human spirit to boot, and there were five of them. So what if he had come out stronger in their first encounter; he had the element of surprise on their side.

Not this time though. This time they'd beat him without fail. After all, his plan was perfect. He distracted the warrior of darkness; the others moved in for the kill thereafter. He fell, and that was the end of it.

Kouji's insistence he was wrong was really starting to get on his nerves.

* * *

><p><em>Kouji Minamoto<em>

He slapped the hand away impatiently as it descended upon his shoulder with concern. Hmmph, he didn't _need_ his concern. It was _his_ fault he had fallen into that hole to begin with…or so he would have believed, if it hadn't been for the source of light at the end of the hole.

He almost snorted at the thought. How clichéd. Not so far from the light at the end of the tunnel, was it? But the light was a spirit that had blended with him, become a part of him. And it was what had been calling him in trills of power since he had stepped off the train.

In that sense, the brunet idiot had nothing to do with falling down the rabbit hole. He had, unfortunately, stopped him getting fried though…and saved the kid he had been trying to.

That was bad enough and he owed him for it. He certainly didn't want any more help, especially help he could well do without.

* * *

><p><em>Izumi Orimoto<em>

Just because she was a girl, didn't mean she couldn't fight or hold her own. She was more than capable of handing an egotistical water sprite, especially seeing as none of the boys had their spirits.

She could wipe that smirk off the other's face. Truth be told, she had enough practice for that from school. She had as much wind at her disposal as the other did water. And it was a girl vs. girl fight.

Not to mention the other got _pretty_ ugly. Though she was quite insulted when she said as much.

* * *

><p><em>Junpei Shibayama<em>

He was supposed to be the oldest. So why was it he was always running last? Like getting his spirit…and everybody laughed at his attempt to be the leader for once. Just because he wasn't as boisterous or overly confident as Takuya or a fiery girl like Izumi (of course, he hadn't quite mastered how to say no to her) or so used to getting his way as Kouji or as cute or endearing as Tomoki.

'I'll be leader next.' Speak of the devil.

The others laughed and readily agree.

Hmmph, let them laugh. He'd show them one day.

* * *

><p><em>Tomoki Himi<em>

He was feeling rather proud of himself as the last pixel alien blew up in his face, especially when there was a groan beside him.

'You play games well kid,' the teddy-bear rumbled.

'Yeah,' he replied proudly. It was his specialty.

And to think the Digimon kidnapped him just to have someone to play with. No doubt Takuya and Kouji wound never have thought of a video-game tournament.

'Let's play again!'

The "meanie" wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

><p><em>Kouichi Kimura<em>

Pride was one of the last sins one would think of accusing him of, but they'd be mistaken. It was mostly because very few had the privilege, or perhaps misfortune, of seeing him lose control in such a manner. It was because of the complexity of his inner nature, the way he sewed things into layers of netting and webs rather than separating them like stone…

That was why, both times he had attempted to take down Cherubimon (both with very different results) had seem so uncharacteristic to the outside observer. But Cherubimon had injured a lot of things. _His_ pride was just one of those, intertwined with all the rest.


	14. Humility

Author's Notes

Humility, possibly the most confusing virtue if you ask me. Modesty, respect, liberation, self worth…those last two strike me as a little odd, especially self worth seeing as it's technically a part of pride's definition as well.

For some reason I was laughing when I typed the last line of Kouji's piece.

BTW, for those of you not familiar, Datamon's Japanese name is Nanomon.

You might need to read the first sentence (of the entire fic) again. It was a Kouichi piece. I didn't even realise I had ended with him until I got to the ending. But it worked quite well.

And…it's over. That's another fic done. Arigato to everyone who stuck by it.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><span>Sins and Virtue<span>

Each person accuses themselves of at least one deadly sin. But to each sin, there is a virtue. Frontier-verse

* * *

><p><span>Humility<span>

* * *

><p><em>Takuya Kanbara<em>

Dammit. He had been wrong. He should have listened. He shouldn't have been so reckless.

Heh, he was listening now. Remarkable how much of a change that meant. Getting rid of a haunting Duskmon sceptre first of all, and to think he had been listening to a mix of hallucinations and memories.

Now was a slightly different story. Time enough to listen and think and understand. Time enough to realise that attacking rashly and head on with the power he had at his fingertips was no way to fight. Time enough to note that once he was a part of himself, his spirit and his nature, he would be able to do so much more. Accomplish so much more.

'You've changed.'

'Yeah…I think I understand better now…'

He had been right.

* * *

><p><em>Kouji Minamoto<em>

He couldn't do everything alone. He couldn't even seem to avoid _their_ company. He falls from a mountain and lands practically at their feet (thank god they didn't see it). He almost falls of the same damned mountain again, only to have a girl snap at him for being an idiot before yanking him out of the hole. Then he's falling like an idiot onto a floating island with two people that couldn't annoy him more…and not because they were _bad_ people or anything, but simply because of the effect they had on him.

And when he finally manages to ditch them on his way to find his beast spirit, he finds himself in the situation where he has to be saved by a child Gotsumon with attitude (reminding him almost eerily of _him_). And again before he went off the edge of a cliff.

He sighed, listening to the other's sappy but true monologue.

'Hey, mind letting me up now?

Whatever pride he had was probably run into the dirt by now.

* * *

><p><em>Izumi Orimoto<em>

Okay, so handing it fine apparently constituted falling headfirst and drowning in water…what was it? Once? Twice?

It didn't matter. Drowning wasn't a pretty feeling at all. It was a horrific way to die, but what was worse was that she had failed. Her friends were on the makeshaft raft that could collapse against the force of the water without its warrior's intervention, and they had a disgustingly vengeful squid on the surface with no spirits to protect themselves.

But then she got her beast spirit. And her control. Because not only was she a girl with a purpose, but she was a girl with friends.

Perhaps watching her life flash before her eyes was more informative than she first realised.

* * *

><p><em>Junpei Shibayama<em>

When he'd made the suggestion after Kouji and Takuya had run off, he'd been thinking about doing something other than just sitting around. After a little persuading though, he was a little surprised at how easily the others fell on the idea, and even more surprised when not only did they get the answers they were looking for (after some slave driving) but a ride that saved them days, if not weeks, of walking.

And he remembered the words he had uttered as part of his initial argument, and though he had a little trouble remembering the _exact_ words, the concept still stuck.

Everybody had things they could do. Sure, _he_ didn't have a fusion evolution, but he had plenty of other gifts as his disposal. He had plenty of things he was good for.

* * *

><p><em>Tomoki Himi<em>

He couldn't stop the tears rolling down his cheeks as he faced Nanomon.

'I-I couldn't find anything to trade,' he wailed. 'And I tried so _hard_.'

He'd begged and pleaded at every trading store he'd come across. He'd combed every free inch he could find. He'd even found the star-struck birds that had taken their D-scanners initially and traded them…but he'd saved them when they fell into an icy pool and they'd run off, taking the recorder with them.

And he'd been forced to admit to Takuya and Kouji who had come to find him that he'd failed them. And now he was admitting the same thing to Nanomon who had given him the chance, despite his business.

But Nanomon surprised him.

'Have you ever heard truth is the greatest treasure?'

* * *

><p><em>Kouichi Kimura<em>

He was right. He could try to blame Cherubimon, but ultimately the blame lay with him. The head that had raised fell, chin almost touching his collarbone as eyes followed its course.

Cherubimon was right. All the Celestial Digimon had done was dangled a carrot in front of his face.

Hmmph, what was he? A donkey? Not that the thought occurred to him at the present moment.

And it was his fault for accepting. His fault for listening.

But he declined the reoffer, eyes still downcast. The admittance of the truth came before they rose, but when they did, they glistened slightly, both would tears and with strength as his head reared out from drowning waters into fresh air.

And shone stronger with new power as he stood in the shadow the Digimon cast.

Virtue came from sin many a time. But the pair brought both lessens and seeds for growth…and perfection.


End file.
